Generating a resource allocation action plan

ABSTRACT

Systems and techniques are provided for resource allocation planning. A future supply of resources and a future demand for resources may be identified for one or more future time periods and/or for one or more resource categories. The identified supply and the identified demand may then be combined to calculate gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand for each of the future time periods and/or each of the resource categories. One or more resource allocation adjustments for addressing the gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand may be received, and net gaps and surpluses for each future time period and or each resource category from the gross gaps and surpluses and the one or more received resource allocation adjustments.

CROSS-REFERENCING TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is related to U.S. patent application entitled“Resource Allocation Management and Planning” Ser. No. 10/369,349 andU.S. patent application entitled “Rationalizing a Resource Allocation”Ser. No. 10/368,285, which are being filed concurrently herewith and areincorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to resource management, and more particularly toanalyzing resource supply and demand models for planning the deploymentof a workforce or other resources.

BACKGROUND

Rapid technological advances in recent times have resulted in aworkforce that is increasingly specialized. For example, to handle themyriad of available programming languages and software applications,software programmers must generally develop particular areas ofexpertise to become proficient in a given field. Specialization is notlimited, however, to software developers but impacts virtually everyindustry to at least some degree. The expansion of the geographicalreach of commercial transactions, through the availability of faster andcheaper transportation and communication systems, has contributed to theability to economically support technological specialization by allowingbusinesses to obtain resources, including staffing resources, from amuch larger collection of potential sources and to provide products andservices to a much larger pool of potential consumers.

Simply being able to locate and obtain resources, however, does notensure success in a business enterprise. To remain competitive,businesses must continually find ways to more efficiently locate anddeploy resources so as to reduce costs and maximize revenue. With regardto an enterprise's workforce, for example, certain costs are associatedwith hiring, training, and reducing staff. Finding ways to minimizethese costs (e.g., through maintaining relative continuity in theworkforce) can increase efficiency. Costs are also frequently associatedwith geographically redeploying staff. Such redeployments are oftennecessary to meet demand, especially in the service and consultingindustries, but minimizing these costs can contribute to profitability.On the other hand, mere cost reductions are not the only relevantconsideration. In some cases, deploying resources in a particular mannerthat minimizes current costs might tie up resources that could generatemore revenue if they were deployed differently. As a result, determininghow to efficiently deploy resources is often a complex task thatrequires consideration of a number of different factors.

SUMMARY

Techniques are provided for performing resource allocation planning. Inone implementation, a supply of resources and a demand for resources areidentified for a number of future time periods and/or for one or moreresource categories. The supply and demand for resources are used tocalculate gaps and surpluses in supply and demand for each of the futuretime periods and/or for each resource category. Resource allocationadjustments are received for addressing the gaps and surpluses, and netgaps and surpluses are identified for each of the future time periodsand/or for each resource category based on a combination of thecalculated gaps and surpluses and the received resource allocationadjustments.

In one general aspect, a method for planning resource allocationsincludes a supply of resources for each of a number of future timeperiods and a demand for resources for each of the future time periodsare identified. The identified supply and the identified demand arecombined to calculate gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand foreach of the plurality of future time periods. A resource allocationadjustment for addressing the gross gaps and surpluses in supply anddemand is received, and net gaps and surpluses for each of the futuretime periods are calculated from the gross gaps and surpluses and thereceived resource allocation adjustment.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the resources may comprise members of a workforce. A resourceallocation action plan may be generated based on the received resourceallocation adjustments. The supply of resources may by identified bypredicting future attrition in the workforce and/or identifyingworkforce members that are scheduled to become available. The demand forresources may be identified by receiving information regardinganticipated future open positions provided by one or more managers ofthe workforce members and/or receiving information regarding expectedbusiness changes. The gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand forthe future time periods may be calculated for each of a number ofcategories. The categories may relate to capabilities associated withthe workforce members, geographic assignments of workforce members,and/or types of employment arrangements for workforce members. Eachresource allocation adjustment may be associated with one or more of thecategories and/or with a selected workforce member within thecategories. For example, gross gaps and surpluses may be calculated forparticular skill sets, and a resource allocation adjustment may involvetraining a workforce member with a primary skill that is in low demandto have a new skill that is in high demand.

In another general aspect, a method for planning workforce resourceallocations may include receiving, from a user, a selection of aworkforce planning category and identifying a future supply of resourcesand a future demand for resources for the workforce planning category.The workforce planning category may relate to a workforce that includesa number of workforce members. Each workforce member may have a numberof associated characteristics, and the selected workforce planningcategory may correspond to one or more of the characteristics. Futuregaps and surpluses for the workforce planning category may be calculatedfrom the identified future supply and demand. One or more resourceallocation adjustments may be received for addressing the gaps andsurpluses, and net gaps and surpluses for the workforce planningcategory may be calculated by adjusting the gaps and surpluses toaccount for the one or more received resource allocation adjustments.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the workforce planning category may correspond to acharacteristic identifying a workforce member capability, acharacteristic identifying a workforce member geographic attribute,and/or a characteristic identifying a workforce member employmentarrangement. A roster may store the characteristics associated with eachworkforce member, and the future new supply of resources may beidentified based on characteristics stored in the roster. The future newsupply of resources that is identified may relate to workforce membersthat have a future availability within a selected time period and thathave characteristics matching the characteristics that correspond to theworkforce planning category. The future supply of resources for theworkforce planning category may be identified by projecting futureattrition for the workforce planning category and/or determining anumber of workforce members for the workforce planning category thathave a future availability within a selected time period. The futuredemand for resources for the workforce planning category may beidentified by receiving information regarding anticipated new demandfrom one or more managers of the workforce members.

In addition, the gaps and surpluses for the workforce planning categorymay be displayed to a user, and the resource allocation adjustments maybe received from the user. An indication of a selected planning horizonmay be received, and the future supply of resources and the futuredemand for resources for the workforce planning category may beidentified for the selected planning horizon. The future gaps andsurpluses and the net gaps and surpluses for the workforce planningcategory may also be calculated for the selected planning horizon. Oneor more of the resource allocation adjustments may include training aworkforce member, redeploying a workforce member, obtaining acontractor, hiring a new employee, releasing a contractor, and/orreleasing an employee.

In another general aspect, an article may include a machine-readablemedium that stores instructions operable to cause one or more machinesto perform certain operations. The operations may include identifying asupply of resources and a demand for resources for each of a number offuture time periods. The identified supply and the identified demand maybe used to calculate gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand foreach of the future time periods. One or more resource allocationadjustments may be received for addressing the gross gaps and surplusesin supply and demand, and net gaps and surpluses may be calculated forthe future time periods from the gross gaps and surpluses and thereceived resource allocation adjustments.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the resources may comprise members of a workforce. The supplyof resources may be identified by predicting future attrition in theworkforce based on stored attrition data and/or identifying workforcemembers that are scheduled to become available within each of the futuretime periods. The demand for resources may be identified by receivinginformation regarding anticipated future open positions from managers ofthe workforce members and/or receiving information regarding expectedbusiness changes. The instructions may be operable to cause one or moremachines to perform further operations including displaying gross gapsand surpluses in supply and demand for each of the future time periodsand displaying resource allocation adjustment options to a user,responsive to which one or more resource allocation adjustments may bereceived from the user. The instructions may be operable to cause one ormore machines to identify a resource allocation as of a selected date,including an allocated supply and an allocated demand as of the selecteddate. The supply of resources for the future time periods may representa change in the supply of resources with respect to the allocated supplyas of the selected date, and the demand for resources for the futuretime periods may represent a change in the demand for resources withrespect to the allocated demand as of the selected date.

In yet another general aspect, an article that includes amachine-readable medium may store instructions that are operable tocause one or more machines to perform operations including receiving aselection of a resource planning category for a collection of resources.Each resource may have a number of associated characteristics, and theresource planning category may correspond to one or more of thecharacteristics. A future supply of resources and a future demand forresources may be identified for the resource planning category. Futuregaps and surpluses for the resource planning category may be calculatedfrom the identified future new supply and the identified future newdemand. One or more resource allocation adjustments may be received foraddressing the gaps and surpluses, and net gaps and surpluses for theresource planning category may be calculated by combining the gaps andsurpluses and the one or more received resource allocation adjustment.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, a roster may store the characteristics associated with eachresource and the future new supply of resources may be identified basedon characteristics stored in the roster. The identified resources may beresources that have a future availability within a selected time periodand that have characteristics matching the characteristics thatcorrespond to the resource planning category. The instructions may beoperable to cause one or more machines to further display the gaps andsurpluses for the resource planning category to a user, and the one ormore resource allocation adjustments may be received from the user. Theinstructions may also involve receiving an indication of a selectedplanning horizon. The future supply of resources and the future demandfor resources for the resource planning category may be identified forthe selected planning horizon, and the future gaps and surpluses and thenet gaps and surpluses for the resource planning category may becalculated for the selected planning horizon.

The details of one or more implementations are set forth in theaccompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will beapparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a is a block diagram illustrating an example data processingsystem that may be used to implement a resource allocation planningtool.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a workforce planning process.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a higher-level workforce planning process.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the functional components of asystem for providing workforce planning services.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a roster building process.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process for rationalizing a workforceallocation.

FIG. 7 is a schematic functional diagram of a workforce planningprocess.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a process for obtaining client or projectmanager workforce planning input.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one implementation of a workforceplanning tool.

FIG. 10 is an example of a workforce planning tool control view for theworkforce planning tool of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is an example of a roster disposition report that can begenerated at the workforce rationalization stage.

FIG. 12 is an example of a roster summary report that can be generatedas a starting point for the workforce planning stage.

FIG. 13 is an example of a workforce planning worksheet that may begenerated from the roster summary report of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an example of a workforce planning worksheet in which anumber of proposed planning options have been added to the workforceplanning worksheet of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a schematic overview of a workforce planning process.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Systems and techniques may be implemented to effectively plan howresources are deployed and what changes should be made over time. Suchsystems and techniques are described here in the context of professionalstaffing automation and workforce planning, although they are applicableto any form of resource allocation planning.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example data processing system100 that may be used to implement a resource allocation planning tool.The data processing system 100 includes a central processor 110, whichexecutes programs, performs data manipulations and controls tasks in thesystem 100. The central processor 110 is coupled with a bus 115 that caninclude multiple busses, which may be parallel and/or serial busses.

The data processing system 100 includes a memory 120, which can bevolatile and/or non-volatile memory, and is coupled with thecommunications bus 115. The system 100 can also include one or morecache memories. The data processing system 100 can include a storagedevice 130 for accessing a storage medium 135, which may be removable,read-only, or read/write media and may be magnetic-based, optical-based,semiconductor-based media, or a combination of these. The dataprocessing system 100 can also include one or more peripheral devices140(1)-140(n) (collectively, devices 140), and one or more controllersand/or adapters for providing interface functions.

The system 100 can further include a communication interface 150, whichallows software and data to be transferred, in the form of signals 154over a channel 152, between the system 100 and external devices,networks, or information sources. The signals 154 can embodyinstructions for causing the system 100 to perform operations. Thesystem 100 represents a programmable machine, and can include variousdevices such as embedded controllers, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs),Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and the like. Machineinstructions (also known as programs, software, software applications orcode) can be stored in the machine 100 and/or delivered to the machine100 over a communication interface. These instructions, when executed,enable the machine 100 to perform the features and functions describedabove. These instructions represent controllers of the machine 100 andcan be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-orientedprogramming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. Suchlanguages can be compiled and/or interpreted languages.

The system 100 can be used to implement a resource allocation planningtool and process in which data is sent and received over the channel 152and processed and routed by the central processor 110 acting inaccordance with instructions stored in the memory 120 and/or storagedevice 130.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a backend component (e.g., a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front-end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such backend, middleware, orfront-end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and theInternet.

The computing system can include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

To provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniquesdescribed here can be implemented on a computer having a display device(e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor)for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointingdevice (e.g., a mouse or a trackball) by which the user can provideinput to the computer.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a workforce planning process 200. Initially,a roster is developed (step 205). The roster identifies the staffingresources in an organization and includes a listing of workforcemembers, such as employees and/or contractors that are employed by anenterprise or some logical division, such as an office location, withinan enterprise. The roster also includes a number of predetermined datafields for storing characteristics of each workforce member. Forexample, the data fields may be used for storing information relating toeach workforce member's primary skills, current geographic assignment,home geographic assignment, skills used in his or her currentassignment, availability date for a new assignment, and current billinglevel.

Using the roster, the current workforce supply can be determined (step210). Generally, each active member of the roster corresponds to oneunit of current workforce supply. The current workforce demand is alsodetermined (step 215). This determination may be based in part oninformation contained in the roster and in part on other data externalto the roster. For each workforce member entry, if the roster identifiesan availability date that is in the future, the entry represents oneunit of current workforce demand. Other data, such as a listing of openpositions in the workforce, may identify units of currently unmetdemand. Data regarding open positions in the workforce may also beentered manually based on feedback from client or project managers orbased on a workforce manager's knowledge of open demand.

By combining the current workforce supply and demand, the currentworkforce can be rationalized to analyze the current workforceallocation (step 220). Rationalization of the workforce allocation maybe used to facilitate an optimization of the current workforce resourceallocation. In particular, rationalization facilitates an identificationof current workforce state issues, allowing a workforce manager to takesteps to address the current state issues, either before or inconnection with planning future workforce deployment strategies.

In its most general form, rationalization may simply identify whetherthere is currently any excess (i.e., unallocated) supply or “bench”(e.g., if there are workforce members in the roster with an availabilitydate that is in the past) or any open (i.e., unallocated) demand. Toobtain more detailed information, however, the rationalization may beperformed across different dimensions (i.e., according to differentcategory parameters). For example, a staffing manager might choose toanalyze the current workforce for a selected location according tocurrent and home geographic assignments to analyze whether the currentworkforce allocation can be optimized by reducing the number of guestworkers (workers with a different home geographic assignment than theselected location) or reducing the number of away workers (workers whosehome geographic assignment is the selected location but who have adifferent current geographic assignment). A staffing manager might alsochoose to analyze the current workforce according to skills to evaluatewhether workforce members are sub-optimally deployed (e.g., whether aworker's primary skill set could be billed out at a higher rate than thebilling rate for the worker's current assignment). The informationobtained from the rationalization may be used, for instance, to redeploycurrent workforce members to a different assignment or to identifytargets for redeployment in the future.

Future changes in the workforce supply and demand can then be forecasted(step 225). The future changes in supply may be based in large part oninformation contained in the roster. In particular, availability datedata in the roster identifies when a workforce member will be added tothe available supply. Input from client or project managers regardingchanges in client or project needs may provide information relating tofuture changes in demand. Other sources may also provide data regardingfuture changes in supply and demand. For example, information regardingnew clients or projects, predicted attrition, plannedreductions-in-force (RIFs), acquisitions, reorganizations, policychanges, and the like may provide data that can be used to forecastfuture changes in supply and demand.

The current workforce allocation is aged over one or more differentperiods to identify future needs and excesses (step 230). Similar to therationalization of the current workforce, the identification of futureneeds and excesses can simply predict whether there will be any excesssupply or bench or any open demand at some point in the future. Inaddition, the identification of future needs and excesses may beperformed across different dimensions (i.e., according to differentcategory parameters). For example, a staffing manager might choose toanalyze whether a selected group of skills are predicted to have excesssupply or open demand at a particular point in the future. A staffingmanager might also choose to analyze whether selected geographic regionsare predicted to have excess supply or open demand at a particular pointin the future.

Based on the identified future needs and excesses, workforce resourcescan be tentatively (“soft”) committed to reduce gaps and surpluses infuture supply and demand (step 235). Workforce members who are scheduledto be available in the future may be earmarked to fill certain skillneeds in the future, to be trained in new skills, to be transferred to adifferent project or geographic region, to be promoted, or to bereleased. Gaps in supply may be addressed by making a soft commitment tohire new employees or obtain new contractors. In some cases, specificworkforce members may be identified to address the gaps and surpluses,while in other cases, such as in the early planning stages, actions maybe generally proposed without identifying specific workforce members whowill be affected.

A workforce allocation action plan can be generated using the softcommitment information (step 240). The workforce action plan summarizesthe proposed workforce allocation actions so that the plan can bereviewed, discussed, modified, and approved. The plan may typicallyinvolve different actions to be taken on different time horizons. Forexample, certain actions may be scheduled during a three-month timehorizon, while other actions are scheduled for a three to six month timehorizon. Once the workforce action plan is approved, the plan isdeployed (step 245) so that the enterprise can begin taking thenecessary actions to fulfill the plan. As changes are made or otherwiseoccur in the workforce, the roster is updated (step 250). The plan canthen be aged (step 255). By beginning the process anew at a later timeand examining the aged plan, the effectiveness of the original plan maybe evaluated. Changes that occur in the workforce over time may beincorporated to determine whether the workforce action plan should bemodified. For example, changes that occur after the workforce actionplan is generated may be incorporated into the roster, and the effect ofsuch changes can be accounted for in a subsequent iteration of theworkforce planning process 200.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a higher-level workforce planning process300. Workforce planning may initially be performed at a low level, inwhich only a relatively small subset of the overall workforce isinvolved, and subsequently at successively higher levels of abstractionthat combine the results of the lower-level planning stages. Thus, theworkforce planning process 200 of FIG. 2 may be performed using a rosterthat represents only a small part of an overall enterprise (e.g.,workers currently assigned to an office location of the enterprise). Thehigher level workforce planning process 300 may then be used, beforedeploying the lower-level resource allocation action plans, torationalize the workforce and perform additional planning operations ata higher level and on a roster that represents a larger population ofworkforce members (e.g., a regional division of the enterprise).Accordingly, the higher-level workforce planning process 300 begins withcombining rosters that represent a smaller logical division of theoverall workforce into a combined roster representing a larger logicaldivision of the overall workforce (step 305).

The combined roster may then be rationalized to analyze the currentworkforce allocation for the combined roster (step 310). Thisrationalization may be performed by combining the current workforceallocations corresponding to the lower-level rosters or by generatingnew rationalization data from the combined roster. In oneimplementation, the workforce allocation action plans that correspond tothe lower-level rosters are combined to produce a combined workforceallocation action plan (step 315). The future supply and demand changesforecast may be modified (step 320) based on higher level forecastinginformation. The combined workforce allocation action plan can then bemodified (step 325). For example, a higher level staffing manager may beable to identify areas where it would be more beneficial to transferworkforce members from one office location to another rather than hiringnew employees or obtaining new contractors. The higher level staffingmanager could therefore modify the combined workforce allocation actionplan based on a review of the overall staffing needs.

Once the combined workforce allocation action plan is complete, it canbe determined if additional abstraction is necessary (step 330). If so,the process 300 can return to step 305 for additional combining ofrosters. Otherwise, the combined workforce allocation action plan, asmodified, can be deployed (step 335).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the functional components of asystem 400 for providing workforce planning services 405. Multipleclients 410 can access the workforce planning services 405 over anetwork 415. The network 415 can be any communication network linkingmachines capable of communicating using one or more networkingprotocols. The network 415 can be a local area network (LAN),metropolitan area network (MAN), wide area network (WAN), enterprisenetwork, virtual private network (VPN), the Internet, and the like. Theclients 410 can be any machines or processes capable of communicatingover the network 415. The clients 410 can be Web Browsers and can becommunicatively coupled with the network 415 through a proxy server.

The workforce planning services 405 may be implemented as a server thatprocesses information and provides reports to clients 410 via thenetwork 415. The workforce planning services 405 may provide access to aroster manager 420 that allows client users to build and select rosters,which are stored in a roster database 425. In addition, the workforceplanning services 405 may provide access to a project management system430 that stores project data in a project database 435. The projectmanagement system 430 may provide information regarding future demandthat can be used in forecasting future changes in demand. A workforceplanning database 440 can store workforce allocation planning data. Theworkforce planning services 405 may also provide access to other systems445 that provide other data and services, such as information regardingfuture business plans or historical attrition data.

In one implementation, the workforce planning services 405 may beimplemented as a workbook in a spreadsheet application. Rosters anddifferent reporting functions can be implemented as worksheets.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a roster building process 500. A roster maybe generated for an entire organization or for logical divisions withinthe organization. In addition, different rosters may be created foremployees and contractors. In some implementations, rosters may bemerged or split out into separate rosters. Generally, such merging orsplitting out of rosters is based on selected attributes orcharacteristics contained in each roster entry. A roster member is firstidentified (step 505). Generally, the roster will include certain basicidentification information for the workforce member, such as name,system ID, job code, and job title.

The skill sets corresponding to the roster member's current workassignment are entered into appropriate fields of the roster (step 510).The skill set characteristics may be selected from a predefined menu ofskill and may include multiple different levels of generality. Forexample, the different levels might include a general skill area (e.g.,client/server or Internet/network platform), a role (e.g., applicationsprogramming or project management), and a specific skill (e.g., C++ orVisual Basic). A proficiency level for the skill (e.g., junior, trained;solid performer; senior, advanced; subject matter expert) may also bespecified. In addition, the roster member's primary skill, if any, and acorresponding proficiency level may also be entered into a field of theroster (step 515). In some cases, to fill demand, workers may be givenassignments that do not make use of their primary skill or skills.Information regarding their primary skills in the roster can be used toidentify appropriate workforce members to fill current or future demand.Information regarding other skills in which the workforce member has hadexperience in the past may also be stored in the roster. This historicalskills data may be used in selecting workforce members who areappropriate for filling current or future needs.

Other data regarding the current assignment, such as current assignmentand current manager, may also be entered for purposes of searchingand/or grouping roster members. In some cases, a worker may havecompleted an assignment and is currently on the bench. In these cases,the data relating to the completed assignment may be retained in thecurrent assignment until a new assignment begins.

A home geographic assignment and a current geographic assignment for theroster member may be identified in the roster (steps 520 and 525). Insome industries, particularly in the areas of client services andconsulting, workers may be temporarily assigned to work out of adifferent geographic location than that of their primary office. Bykeeping track of both the currently assigned and home offices, it ispossible to identify workers who may be more or less profitable than ifthey were in their home location. The geographic assignment informationmay be entered on multiple levels, such as country, region, state, andcity.

An availability date (and/or a date on which the worker is no longereligible to be billed to a client or project) for the roster member maybe identified as an attribute in the roster entry (step 530). Thisattribute provides information about when the roster member will beavailable for a new assignment. In general, the availability date can bein the future, indicating that the worker has a current and/or analready identified future assignment, or in the past, indicating thatthe worker is currently on the bench. A current billing level may alsobe identified (step 535). This information can be useful in determining,for example, whether the user is currently being billed out at a levelthat is higher or lower than what the user's primary skill wouldnormally dictate. Information about the workforce member's nextassignment, if any, may also be stored in the roster (step 540). Thisinformation may include a target assignment, a percentage likelihoodthat the target assignment will be finalized, and a beginning and enddate for the target assignment. Such information may be useful, forinstance, if a workforce manager wants to rationalize the workforce atsome date in the future or in determining future supply and demand.

Other attribute fields for the workforce member may also be available inthe roster for storing data. For example, the roster may include fieldsfor identifying if a worker is on a leave of absence or in extendedtraining, identifying a skill in which a worker desires to becomeproficient or in which the worker has training and would likeexperience, indicating the client billing type and/or project type(e.g., staff augmentation, managed work, or revenue sharing),identifying the work location type (e.g., client site, office location,other office location in the same region, other office location in adifferent region, or global sourcing), and indicating the recognizedrevenue for the worker. An option tag field may also be included to flagan individual for soft commitments during workforce planning. Once thenecessary data has been entered in the roster for a particular workforcemember, the roster member data is stored (step 545). The process 500repeats for each workforce member until all workforce members have beenentered in the roster.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process 600 for rationalizing a workforceallocation. The process 600 begins with a selection of an effective date(step 605). The rationalization process 600 may be performed as of aneffective date that corresponds to the current date or to any date inthe future or past. If the effective date is in the past, however, theroster may need to be reset to reflect that date (e.g., by reverting tothe roster status as of the effective date). A workforce manager canthus view reports regarding the workforce allocation as of any selecteddate. A roster is also selected (step 610). The roster defines thepopulation of workforce members for which the rationalization will beperformed and typically will not contain the complete roster of allavailable workforce members. In general, the roster may be selected byidentifying workforce members that satisfy certain criteria (e.g.,workforce members that have a selected manager, a selected geographicassignment, or a selected current project).

The workforce rationalization parameters are next selected (step 615).The workforce can be rationalized across a number of differentdimensions. At the most basic level, the workforce can be rationalizedto identify excess supply or open demand for the roster in general,which can indicate that the enterprise is currently carrying unnecessarycosts or forgoing additional revenue. Rationalization parameters may beused to identify excess supply or open demand with greater specificity.For example, excess supply and open demand may be identified by skill,geographic assignment, or by worker type (e.g., employee or contractor).Other rationalization parameters may be used to identify sub-optimalworkforce deployments, which may represent excess overhead oropportunity costs. For example, rationalization parameters may relate tothe geographic deployment of the workforce (e.g., home versus currentgeographic assignments), the resource yield (e.g., current billing levelor revenue generated compared with pay rate or with the potentialbilling level for the worker's primary skill and/or the effective use ofcontractors or outsourcing), the degree to which workers are currentlyusing their primary skills, and/or other resource characteristics.

Depending on which rationalization parameters are selected, theworkforce rationalization may require a retrieval of resource deploymentpreference or differential data (step 620). This data may be used in theworkforce rationalization to identify sub-optimal workforce deployments.For example, if the rationalization parameters relate to the geographicdeployment of the workforce, data regarding the differential in billingrates between different geographic regions may be useful in identifyingwhich geographic deployments make the best financial sense. Economicgeographic adjustment (EGA) statistics may provide this type ofdifferential data. Typical billing rates in San Francisco may be higherthan billing rates in Houston because of the cost of livingdifferential. Deploying a worker who is based in San Francisco to aproject in Houston might require that the worker be billed out at alower rate. Similarly, the worker might require a higher salary to becompetitive with the San Francisco market than a similar worker based inHouston. Thus, such a deployment might not be optimal from a financialperspective.

In addition to geographic considerations, resource deployment preferenceor differential data may provide data that is useful in rationalizingthe workforce in terms of the use of contractors, global competitiveresourcing (i.e., foreign/offshore workers), and/or employees fordifferent skills. Certain skill needs may prove more or less profitabledepending on the type of worker used to fill those needs. Dataindicating such profitability differentials may be used to analyzewhether there are sub-optimal deployments. Resource deploymentpreference or differential data might also provide information forrationalizing the workforce in terms of primary skills as compared tocurrently used skills. Data categorizing different skills by billinglevel may facilitate a determination of whether the workforce deploymentcould be optimized by redeploying certain workers in assignments thatuse their primary skills. In some cases, an enterprise may also havecertain workforce deployment preferences that are irrespective of thefinancial considerations. For example, an enterprise may decide thatonly employees, as opposed to contractors, should fill certain skillneeds. The resource deployment preference or differential data mayprovide an indication of such preferences.

Based on the selected rationalization parameters and any associatedresource deployment preference or differential data, a rationalizationsummary may be generated (step 625). The rationalization summary mayprovide a report identifying certain skills, geographic locations, orworker types that have open demand or excess supply. The rationalizationsummary may provide a report regarding whether the workforce deploymentincludes sub-optimally deployed workforce members. For example, therationalization summary may identify the quantities of workforce membersthat are deployed in optimal, acceptable, and sub-optimal manners. Therationalization summary may indicate that a certain quantity ofworkforce members have a geographic assignment that does not makefinancial sense or may indicate that certain skill needs currentlyfilled by employees could be more profitably filled by contractors or byglobal competitive resources. Other reports are also possible. Forinstance, a report may be generated that identifies the quantity ofworkforce members that have a current assignment with a billing ratethat is substantially below the billing rate for their primary skills.Another report may indicate a quantity of workforce members whosecurrently assigned skill could be performed by a contractor or by globalcompetitive resources at a more profitable level.

A roster rationalization detailed report may also be generated (step630). The detailed report may provide additional information about theworkforce rationalization, such as identifying particular workforcemembers that are suspect in terms of the profitability of their currentassignment. By using the rationalization reports, a workforce managermay be able to redeploy the workforce in a more optimal manner (step635). In particular, the workforce manager may be able to reassignsub-optimally assigned workforce members or be able to take the resultsof the rationalization reports into consideration when making workforceplanning decisions.

Once the workforce rationalization is complete, workforce planning canbe performed. By conducting workforce rationalization first, a workforcemanager can identify current state issues and separate them from trueworkforce planning issues. In the workforce planning stage, the currentworkforce state may be used as a baseline and known or predicted changesin the workforce can be used for anticipating future workforcedeployment issues. The workforce manager can then make planned workforceadjustments to resolve these future issues.

FIG. 7 is a schematic functional diagram of a workforce planning process700. The workforce planning process 700 is performed with respect to aselected roster. Generally, the same roster may be used for theworkforce planning stage as is used at the workforce rationalizationstage. In accordance with the process, attrition experience data 705 isprovided to a future attrition model 710 to predict the futureattrition. The attrition experience data 705 may be based simply on anaverage attrition rate for an enterprise or a particular division of anenterprise. Alternatively, the attrition experience data 705 may providemore sophisticated data such as historical attrition information byskill or geographic region. The future attrition model 710 uses theattrition experience data 705 to calculate a probabilistic distributionof attrition. For example, if the historical attrition data 705 shows anattrition rate of eight out of one hundred employees per year, aprobability-based attrition model 710 may predict how many employees arelikely to leave within different future time periods (e.g., withinthree, six, nine, and twelve months). In some implementations, theattrition may be predicted by skill, type of assignment, billing level,and/or other worker characteristics. The future attrition model providesnegative supply data by time period for use in the workforce planningprocess 700.

Availability data 715 from the roster for each workforce member providesinformation about future bench releases 720. In particular, theavailability date for each workforce member, as stored in the roster,indicates when that workforce member is expected to be released to thebench. The future bench releases 720 information provides positivesupply data by time period for use in the workforce planning process700.

Future project planning data 725 provides information about future openpositions 730. The future project planning data 725 may be obtained bycollecting information from client or project managers. Based onknowledge of client or project needs, each client or project manager canprovide input on any new employee or contractor staffing needs that arelikely to develop in the future and an approximate time period for thenew staffing needs. The future open positions 730 information providespositive demand data by time period for use in the workforce planningprocess 700.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of a process 800 for obtaining client orproject manager workforce planning input. A client or project is firstselected (step 805). A subset roster corresponding to the client orproject is then generated (step 810). The subset roster may be built,for example, based on client, project, or manager data fields in alarger roster. A client/project manager worksheet is then generated(step 815). The worksheet may include a list of skills and/or workforcemembers that are currently assigned for the client or project. Theworksheet may provide a framework for confirming current demand and foridentifying anticipated increases and decreases in needs. The worksheetmay also provide a baseline from which the future high demand and lowdemand skills, and anticipated increases and decreases in needs for thehigh and low demand skills, can be determined. The client or projectmanager input is received (step 820), and the future project planningdata 725 is updated (step 825).

Referring again to FIG. 7, future business planning data 735 providesinformation about expected business changes 740. The future businessplanning data 735 may relate to anticipated new clients or projects. Inaddition, the future business planning data 735 may encompass plannedreductions-in-force, acquisitions, reorganizations, policy changes, andthe like. The expected business changes 740 information may providepositive and/or negative supply data and/or positive and/or negativedemand data by time period for use in the workforce planning process700.

The data from the future attrition model 710, the future bench releases720, the future open positions 730, and the expected business changes740 are combined to calculate future gross gaps and surpluses 745. Thefuture gross gaps and surpluses 745 may be calculated based on aselected planning horizon 750 and selected planning parameters 755. Inone implementation, the planning horizon 750 can represent a selectednumber of periods of a specified duration. For example, the selectedplanning horizon 750 may be six or twelve periods of one month each orfour or eight periods of three months each. Other period and durationcombinations are also possible. The selected planning parameters 755 mayrelate to skills, in which case planning can be performed according toindividual skills or groups of skills. The selected planning parameters755 may also relate to other workforce characteristics, such as homegeographic assignments. The gross gaps and surpluses 745 may berepresented as a table (or other visual representation, such as a graph)that indicates the number of workforce members that are expected to beon the bench and the number of open positions for each period of theselected planning horizon 750. For example, if a workforce member isscheduled to be available after two months from the current date, thegross gaps and surpluses 745 may show an increase in the number ofworkforce members on the bench starting three months in the future (theworkforce member will not be available until after two months havepassed).

Based on the gross gaps and surpluses 745, planning option adjustments760 can be selected to address the predicted gaps and surpluses.Planning option adjustments 760 represent specific proposed changes inthe workforce deployment over time. The purpose of the planning optionadjustments 760 is to reduce the amount of gaps and surpluses. Planningoptions may include, for example, hiring employees externally (i.e.,from outside the enterprise), obtaining new contractors, hiring currentcontractors as employees, transferring in workforce members from adifferent location, training a current workforce member for a new skill,promoting a current workforce member, redeploying a workforce member toa different assignment, transferring out workforce members to adifferent location, or releasing a workforce member. For each planningoption, a particular time period in the future is selected.

Each planning option may first be assigned based on a rostercharacteristic (e.g., skill or geographical assignment). Subsequently,the planning option may be associated with a particular workforcemember. In particular, a list of workforce members who are eligible forthe planning option may be displayed, and a particular workforce membercan be selected for the planning option. The planning option to beapplied to the particular workforce member can be stored in the rosterin an option tag field, for example, for the workforce member, whichallows the roster to identify the workforce members who will be affectedif the plans are put into action. By selecting planning options forparticular workforce members, it may be possible, for example, toidentify individuals who can be retrained to prevent layoffs.

Based on the planning option adjustments 760, the net gaps and surpluses765 are calculated. Each planning option adjustment 760 results in achange in the workforce deployment that is reflected in the net gaps andsurpluses 765. As with the gross gaps and surpluses 745, the net gapsand surpluses 765 may be represented in a graph, chart, or other visualrepresentation. Once all of the desired planning option adjustments havebeen entered, all of the proposed actions may be extracted as anemployee action plan 775 and/or a contractor, action plan 780 to form anoverall workforce action plan 770. In some cases, the workforce actionplan 770 may be reviewed with individual client or project managers tosolicit additional ideas for reducing the gaps and surpluses and/or toobtain feedback on the planned actions. The workforce action plan maythen be revised to incorporate additional measures for reducing the gapsand surpluses. Workforce action plans for different rosters can then becombined, and the workforce planning process can be repeated for theconsolidated roster to further optimize the overall workforcedeployment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of one implementation of a workforceplanning tool 900. The workforce planning tool 900 includes a workforceplanning tool application 905 that operates to control and consolidate anumber of workforce planning functions. Using the workforce planningtool application 905, a user can select 910 an effective planning datefor developing a workforce action plan. The effective planning daterepresents a date that anchors the planning and can be any date—future,current, or past. A user can import 915 one or more rosters from aroster database. The roster or a collection of rosters generallyrepresents the population of workforce members for which a workforceaction plan may be developed. The workforce planning tool application905 also allows a number of periods and months per period to be set 920for the workforce action plan.

A roster manager function 925 allows the user to define a particularroster with which to work. Imported rosters may be merged or split toform the roster. In addition, multiple rosters may be created to, forexample, generate alternative workforce action plans. Once a roster isselected, the workforce planning tool application 905 can be used torationalize the current workforce deployment by building a summary ofroster dispositions 930. The user can also build a roster summary 935that summarizes the roster according to a selected parameter orparameters, such as skills. The roster summary 935 allows the user toselect certain parameter values (e.g., specific skills) to address inworkforce planning.

Using the roster summary, a client/project manager selection worksheetcan be built 940. The client/project manager selection worksheet may bea list of client/project managers that have responsibility for theworkforce members in the selected roster. Using the client/projectmanager selection worksheet, the user may select one or moreclient/project managers from which input is to be solicited regardinganticipated changes in client or project demand. For each selectedclient or project manager, a client/project worksheet may be built 945from the roster. The client/project worksheet may provide aclient-specific or project-specific view of the current workforce andmay provide a discussion point from which changes in demand may beanticipated.

Based on the client/project manager input data and the parameter valuesselected from the roster summary 935, a workforce planning worksheet canbe built 950. The workforce planning worksheet summarizes the projectedincreases/decreases in supply and increases/decreases in demand andcombines them to provide a model of anticipated gaps and surpluses foreach period in the selected number of periods. The user can use theworkforce planning worksheet to determine a resource action plan 955 bychoosing options that will optimize the workforce composition anddeployment. In particular, the resource action plan will generallyinclude a collection of specific changes in resource allocations toreduce the anticipated gaps and surpluses for each period. Once the userhas selected the desired options, the workforce action plan may be agedby one period 960 to view a predicted future effect of the plan. Acompleted workforce action plan and the corresponding roster may beexported 965 by the workforce planning tool application 905 for accessby others or consolidation with other workforce action plans. Both therosters and the workforce action plans from the workforce planning tool900 may have a normalized format, which allows the data to be accessedby other systems in the enterprise.

FIG. 10 is an example of a workforce planning tool control view 1000 forthe workforce planning tool of FIG. 9. The control view 1000 allows aworkforce manager 1015 to select a region 1005 and a location 1010 forthe workforce planning from a pull down menu or pop-up window, forexample. The workforce manager can also select an effective date 1020for the workforce planning operations and an active roster 1025 on whichworkforce planning is to be performed. The selected effective date isused as a reference point for calculating, for example, the current andfuture bench based on the availability date information in the roster.Selection of a button 1030 for selecting a number of periods to modelcauses a window to appear in which the workforce manager can select froma variety of different time period and months per period combinations.The selected combination is then displayed in a time period and monthsper period field 1035 of the control view 1000. A roster manager button1040 allows the workforce manager to view a pop-up window in which themanager can select a particular roster from a list of available rosters,and an import new roster button 1045 allows additional rosters to beimported from another source (e.g., a roster database) into the currentinstance of the workforce planning tool. Available rosters can also becombined using a combine employee rosters button 1050, and rosters canbe split into sub-rosters or sub-rosters can be merged into a rosterusing a split/merge sub-rosters button 1055. The combine employeerosters button 1050 and the split/merge sub-rosters button 1055 eachallow the workforce manager to view a pop-up window in which rosters tobe combined or split may be selected. Splitting a roster intosub-rosters is generally used for creating separate sub-rosters for eachclient or project manager. The sub-rosters can then be updated by theindividual client or project managers and then merged back into aconsolidated roster.

A build summary of roster dispositions button 1060 facilitates theworkforce rationalization analysis and allows the workforce manager togenerate a roster rationalization report. A build roster summary button1065 allows the workforce manager to generate a summary of the currentroster by category or parameter (e.g., skill sets). The summary isgenerally used as a starting point for workforce planning. The workforcemanager can select a certain category of parameter values for whichworkforce planning is to be performed. Buttons 1070 and 1075 allow theworkforce manager to age the plan by one period or to fall back by oneperiod, respectively. Use of these buttons 1070 and 1075 creates a newworkforce planning worksheet with all entries aged one period forward orback. In addition, the effective date is adjusted forward or back by oneperiod. Tabs 1080 along the bottom of the control view 1000 allow theworkforce manager to selectively switch among different views (e.g.,roster summary view, workforce planning view, roster dispositions view,client/project manager selection worksheet, and available rosters). Oncethe workforce action plan is complete, the plan can be exported using anexport current plan button 1085.

FIG. 11 is an example of a roster disposition report 1100 that can begenerated at the workforce rationalization stage. In this example, theroster disposition report 1100 represents an analysis of currentgeographic assignments 1105 versus home geographic assignments 1110. Thegeographic assignments are broken down by region (e.g., Southeast,Southwest, Midwest, West and Latin America) and by centre or location(e.g., Miramar, Fla.; Houston, Tex.; Bay Area, Calif.; Juarez, Mexico;Troy, Mich.; etc.). Each region has an associated economic geographicaladjustment (EGA) 1115, which represents the relative costs associatedwith the region. The report identifies the quantity of workforce memberswith a particular combination of current and home geographicassignments. For example, the Houston, Tex. location includes twocurrently assigned workforce members who have a home geographicassignment in Troy, Mich.

The report may color-code particular combinations that are suspect basedon the EGA differentials. For example, the entry for the two workforcemembers 1120 who are currently assigned to the Miramar, Fla. location(EGA=1.00) but have a home geographic assignment of Houston, Tex.(EGA=1.05) may be color-coded red. Because the Miramar, Fla. locationhas a lower EGA than the Houston, Tex. location, it may be presumed thatthe differential results in a lower profit margin. Even when the EGAsare the same, there may be additional costs associated with havingindividuals assigned to a different location than their home geographicassignment. Accordingly, the entries for workforce members withdifferent current and home geographic assignments that have the same EGAmay be color-coded yellow. In this example, for instance, the Houston,Tex. location currently has two workforce members 1125 whose homeassignment is Troy, Mich., two workforce members 1130 whose homeassignment is Salt Lake City, Utah, and one workforce member 1135 whosehome assignment is Seattle, Wash. In this example, there are also threeworkforce members 1140 whose home assignment is Houston, Tex. (EGA=1.05)but who are currently assigned to the Bay Area location (EGA=1.20).Because this deployment has a significantly positive differential (e.g.,an EGA differential greater than 0.1), this deployment may representincreased profitability and may therefore be coded green, indicatingthat it may be worth determining whether there are additional workforcemembers from the Houston, Tex. location (or other locations with asimilar EGA) who can be assigned to the Bay Area location.

For cases where there is a suspect EGA differential, it may be desirableto determine whether valid business reasons exist for the apparentsub-optimal workforce allocation. If not, it may be desirable toidentify workforce members who should be redeployed, if possible.Accordingly, a display 1145 of roster details for the suspect EGAdifferentials provides a detailed rationalization report, which setsforth information from the roster that may be potentially relevant inanalyzing the specific workforce allocations. The roster details mayinclude, among other things, the home location 1150 and currentlyassigned location 1155, the name of the workforce member 1160, and thescheduled availability date 1165 for the workforce member.

Other types of roster disposition reports may also be available. Suchreports may be useful in rationalizing the current workforce to reduceguest workers, reduce the away team, reduce or hire contractors, fillopen staffing areas, reduce the current bench, achieve a maximum skilldeployment, or identify areas where global competitive resourcing may bebeneficial.

FIG. 12 is an example of a roster summary report 1200 that can begenerated as a starting point for the workforce planning stage. In thisexample, the roster summary report 1200 represents an analysis of thenumber of on hand workforce members 1205, the number of open positions1210, and the number of workforce members on the bench 1215 according toskill area 1220 (e.g., platform), role 1225 (e.g., job), and specificskill 1230. The number of on hand workforce members 1205 may be derivedby generating a count of the skills found in the roster. The number ofworkforce members on the bench 1210 may be derived from a determinationof whether the roster availability date for each workforce member isprior to the effective date. In this implementation, the number of openpositions 1210 may be entered manually, but in other implementations,this data may be extracted from other systems or databases.

To obtain the number of open positions 1210 for manual entry, forexample, a client or project manager (e.g., a client delivery executive(CDE)) selection worksheet button 1235 may be selected to generate alist of client or project managers. Individual client or projectmanagers can then be selected from which to solicit input regardingcurrent open needs or future changes in demand. Additional parametervalue rows can also be added to the roster summary report 1200 using anadd row button 1240. Additional rows may be used in this example toselect additional skill area, role, and specific skill combinations forinclusion in the roster summary report 1200. Specific skill area, role,and specific skill combinations can be selected in a selection column1245, and a workforce planning worksheet for the selected combinationscan be generated using a build workforce planning worksheet button 1250.

In some implementations, other types of roster summary reports may alsobe generated. For example, roster summary reports might identify thenumber of on hand workforce members, the number of open positions, andthe number of workforce members on the bench by primary skill, projector client, and/or geographic location.

FIG. 13 is an example of a workforce planning worksheet 1300 that may begenerated from the roster summary report 1200 of FIG. 12. In thisexample, the workforce planning worksheet 1300 represents an analysis ofthree specific skill area, role, and specific skill combinations. Theworkforce planning worksheet 1300 includes the projected attrition 1305,the expected releases to the bench 1310, and the planned/anticipatedbusiness changes 1315 for each skill combination by period. The expectedreleases to the bench 1310 may be based on the availability date data,as well as any beginning and end date for a target assignment, containedin the roster. The planned/anticipated business changes 1315 may bebased on input from client or project managers and/or on businesschanges data from other sources.

The various projected changes are accumulated to produce the projectedgross gaps and surpluses 1320 for each skill combination by period. Thegross gaps and surpluses may represent a change with respect to thecurrent workforce allocation or may carry forward any unallocatedcurrent supply and demand. The workforce planning worksheet 1300 alsoincludes a display of the net gaps and surpluses 1325 for each skillcombination by period. Before any workforce planning options areselected, the net gaps and surpluses 1325 will be identical to the grossgaps and surpluses 1320. To adjust the net gaps and surpluses 1325, aselect planning options button 1330 is provided. A particular skillcombination may be selected (e.g., highlighted) from the net gaps andsurpluses 1325, and then the select planning options button 1330 can beselected to display a menu of planning options. The planning options mayinclude a number of planning action options (e.g., train workforcemember or hire contractor) and a number of charting or graphing options.Planning options selected from the planning options menu are displayedin a proposed action section 1335 of the workforce planning sheet 1300.

FIG. 14 is an example of a workforce planning worksheet 1400 in which anumber of proposed planning options have been added to the workforceplanning worksheet 1300 of FIG. 13. For each selected planning option, aquantity of workforce members to whom the planning option is to apply isidentified for one or more periods by entering the number in a planningmatrix 1440. For example, the workforce manager might decide to train1445 one current workforce member to meet demand for a particular skillcombination (e.g., client/server; project management; PM2 Methodology)in the second period. The workforce manager might also decide to obtain1450 four contractors to meet upcoming demand for a particular skillcombination (e.g., client/server; applications programming; VisualBasic). One of the workforce members might be scheduled to be obtainedin the first period, two of these workforce members might be scheduledto be available to fill open skill combination positions in the secondperiod, while the remaining workforce member might be scheduled to beavailable in the third period.

As planning options are selected and assigned to particular periods, thenet gaps and surpluses 1425 are updated by period. Accordingly, theworkforce planning worksheet 1400 forms an interactive display of thefuture workforce gaps and surpluses. In this example, obtainingcontractors in the next three periods results in an excess supply (i.e.,a surplus of nine) of a particular category of workforce members, namelythose with a skill combination of client/server; applicationsprogramming; Visual Basic, in the fourth period. The workforce managermight be able to address this anticipated excess supply, for example, byreleasing contractors, transferring workforce members to a differentgeographic location, and/or redeploying workforce members to a differentassignment (which may be associated with a different roster).

Each selected planning option and each corresponding assigned period canalso be assigned to a particular workforce member. By selecting (e.g.,double-clicking) on a planning option in the proposed action section1335, a menu of possible workforce members to whom the planning optionmay be applied can be displayed. For example, if the selected planningoption is to train a workforce member for a new skill, the menu mayinclude workforce members from the roster who have indicated a desire tolearn the new skill or who have experience in similar skills. Once aparticular workforce member is selected, an option tag field in theroster may be updated to indicate that the workforce member has been“soft” committed to a future need. Other roster fields for theparticular workforce member, such as fields relating to the targetedproject or client for the workforce member and targeted project's orclient's corresponding beginning and end dates, can also be updated.

For some planning options, such as transferring in a workforce memberfrom a different roster or transferring out a workforce member to adifferent roster, the current roster count may change but the source ordestination of the transferred workforce member may not be specified.The source or destination of these types of workforce members may beaddressed during a subsequent workforce planning iteration, such as whenthe current roster is combined with other rosters to form a master(e.g., regional) roster.

In some implementations, other types of workforce planning worksheetsmay also be generated. For example, workforce planning worksheets mayfacilitate the generation of workforce action plans by primary skill,project or client, and/or geographic location.

FIG. 15 is a schematic overview 1500 of a workforce planning process.Initially, the approach of the planning process is determined, and thenecessary object definitions and structures are established during adesign phase (step 1505). The systems and techniques described here aregenerally based on an approach in which resource allocation managementand planning is conducted using various characteristics (e.g., skills,availability, and the like) of individual resources in an attempt toidentify an optimal deployment of the current and future resourcesupply.

In day-to-day operation, the process is used to manage resources andmeet demand (step 1510). At this stage, information (e.g., from aroster) regarding the working supply 1515 and the working demand 1520are rationalized (step 1525) to facilitate optimization of the currentdeployment of resources. The data sets (e.g., the roster) that storeinformation regarding the working supply 1515 and the working demand1520 are continually or periodically updated to reflect changes inresource allocations. Tools defined during the design phase (step 1505)may be used to develop and maintain these data sets and to identifysub-optimally deployed resources. The data sets thereby maintain anaccurate representation of the current workforce deployment and may beused as baselines in workforce planning.

In a planning-data development stage (step 1530), data representingknown and expected changes within the planning horizon is developed.Data from the working supply data sets along with other data sources maybe used to project the future resource supply (step 1535) and togenerate supply deltas (i.e., changes in supply) (step 1540). Similarly,data may also be gathered regarding expected new demand (step 1545) togenerate demand deltas (i.e., changes in demand) (step 1550). Dataregarding other factors that may affect the future supply and demand,such as attrition, reductions-in-force, acquisitions, reorganizations,policy changes, and the like, may also be gathered or identified (step1555) at this stage.

The planning data from step 1530 is then used to prepare a resourceallocation action plan in response to the anticipated changes in supplyand demand (step 1560). An expected variance is calculated between thecurrent situation and the anticipated future state to identify supplyneeds and excess demand (step 1565). Actions may then be selected toaddress the expected variance by reducing the amount of supply needs andexcess demand (step 1570). Once the resource allocation action plan hasbeen approved, the plan may be executed (step 1580). Execution of theplan is generally followed by continued monitoring of the resourcedeployment and of resource supply and demand (at step 1510). Thismonitoring can be used as feedback for assessing the accuracy of theprojections and the effectiveness of the actions taken.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made. For example,although the systems and techniques are described primarily in thecontext of workforce planning, the systems and techniques may also beapplied to other forms of resource planning. Accordingly, otherembodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

1. A method for planning resource allocations, the method comprising:identifying, by a computer, a supply of resources for each of aplurality of future time periods; identifying, by the computer, a demandfor resources for each of the plurality of future time periods;combining, by the computer, the identified supply and the identifieddemand to calculate gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand foreach of the plurality of future time periods; presenting, by thecomputer, on a display device, an interactive display including anidentification of the gross gaps and surpluses for each of the pluralityof future time periods, wherein the interactive display allows a user toselect among a plurality of resource allocation adjustments foraddressing the gross gaps and surpluses for each of the plurality offuture time periods; receiving, by the computer, at least one selectedresource allocation adjustment for addressing the gross gaps andsurpluses in supply and demand; calculating, by the computer, net gapsand surpluses for each of the plurality of future time periods from thegross gaps and surpluses and the at least one selected resourceallocation adjustment; and dynamically updating, by the computer, theinteractive display to include an identification of the net gaps andsurpluses for each of the plurality of future time periods in additionto the identification of the gross gaps and surpluses included in theinteractive display.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the resourcescomprise members of a workforce.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereinidentifying the supply of resources includes at least one of: predictingfuture attrition in the workforce; and identifying workforce membersthat are scheduled to become available.
 4. The method of claim 2 whereinidentifying the demand for resources includes at least one of: receivinginformation regarding anticipated future open positions provided by atleast one manager of the workforce members; and receiving informationregarding expected business changes.
 5. The method of claim 2 whereinthe gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand for each of theplurality of future time periods are calculated for each of a pluralityof categories.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the plurality ofcategories relate to at least one of capabilities associated with theworkforce members, geographic assignments of workforce members, andtypes of employment arrangements for workforce members.
 7. The method ofclaim 6 wherein each of the plurality of resource allocation adjustmentsis associated with at least one of the plurality of categories.
 8. Themethod of claim 7 wherein each of the plurality of resource allocationadjustments is associated with a selected workforce member within the atleast one category.
 9. The method of claim 2 further comprisinggenerating a resource allocation action plan based on the at least oneselected resource allocation adjustment.
 10. A method for planningworkforce resource allocations, the method comprising: receiving, by acomputer, a selection of a workforce planning category for a workforcethat includes a plurality of Workforce members, with each workforcemember having a plurality of associated characteristics, wherein theworkforce planning category corresponds to at least one of thecharacteristics; identifying, by the computer, a future supply ofresources for the workforce planning category; identifying, by thecomputer, a future demand for resources for the workforce planningcategory; calculating, by the computer, future gaps and surpluses forthe workforce planning category by combining the identified futuresupply and the identified future demand; presenting, by the computer, ona display device, a graphical user interface including an identificationof the future gaps and surpluses for the workforce planning category,wherein the graphical user interface allows a user to enter resourceallocation adjustments to address the future gaps and surpluses;receiving, by the computer, through the graphical user interface atleast one resource allocation adjustment for addressing the future gapsand surpluses; calculating, by the computer, net gaps and surpluses forthe workforce planning category from the future gaps and surpluses andthe at least one received resource allocation adjustment; anddynamically updating, by the computer, the graphical user interface toinclude an identification of the net gaps and surpluses in addition 10the identification of the future gaps and surpluses.
 11. The method ofclaim 10 wherein the workforce planning category corresponds to at leastone of: a characteristic identifying a workforce member capability; acharacteristic identifying a workforce member geographic attribute; anda characteristic identifying a workforce member employment arrangement.12. The method of claim 11 wherein a roster stores the characteristicsassociated with each workforce member and identifying the future newsupply of resources comprises: identifying, based on characteristicsstored in the roster, workforce members that have a future availabilitywithin a selected time period and that have characteristics matching thecharacteristics that correspond to the workforce planning category. 13.The method of claim 10 wherein identifying the future supply ofresources for the workforce planning category comprises: projectingfuture attrition for the workforce planning category; and identifying anumber of workforce members for the workforce planning category thathave a future availability within a selected time period.
 14. The methodof claim 10 wherein identifying the future demand for resources for theworkforce planning category comprises receiving information regardinganticipated new demand from at least one manager of the workforcemembers.
 15. The method of claim 10 further comprising displaying thefuture gaps and surpluses for the workforce planning category to theuser, wherein the at least one resource allocation adjustment isreceived through the graphical user interface from the user.
 16. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising receiving an indication of aselected planning horizon, wherein: the future supply of resources andthe future demand for resources for the workforce planning category areidentified for the selected planning horizon; and the future gaps andsurpluses and the net gaps and surpluses for the workforce planningcategory are calculated for the selected planning horizon.
 17. Themethod of claim 10 wherein the at least one resource allocationadjustment comprises at least one of training a workforce member,redeploying a workforce member, obtaining a contractor, hiring a newemployee, releasing a contractor, and releasing an employee.
 18. Anarticle comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructionsoperable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:identifying a supply of resources for each of a plurality of future timeperiods; identifying a demand for resources for each of the plurality offuture time periods: combining the identified supply and the identifieddemand to calculate gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand foreach of the plurality of future time periods; receiving at least oneresource allocation adjustment for addressing the gross gaps andsurpluses in supply and demand; calculating net gaps and surpluses foreach of the plurality of future time periods from the gross gaps andsurpluses and the at least one received resource allocation adjustment;and presenting an interactive display with an identification of thecalculated net gaps and surpluses for each of the plurality of futuretime periods, wherein the interactive display allows a user to selectresource allocation adjustments and the interactive display dynamicallyupdates the identification based on resource allocation adjustmentsselected by the user.
 19. The article of claim 18 wherein the resourcescomprise members of a workforce.
 20. The article of claim 19 whereinidentifying the supply of resources includes at least one of: predictingfuture attrition in the workforce based on stored attrition data; andidentifying workforce members that are scheduled to become availablewithin each of the plurality of future time periods.
 21. The article ofclaim 19 wherein identifying the demand for resources includes at leastone of: receiving information regarding anticipated future openpositions provided by at least one manager of the workforce members; andreceiving information regarding expected business changes.
 22. Thearticle of claim 19 wherein the interactive display comprisesidentification of: the gross gaps and surpluses in supply and demand foreach of the plurality of future time periods; and a plurality ofresource allocation adjustment options, wherein the at least oneresource allocation adjustment is received in response to the resourceallocation adjustment options.
 23. The article of claim 18 wherein theinstructions are operable to cause one or more machines to performfurther operations comprising identifying a resource allocation as of aselected date, including an allocated supply and an allocated demand asof the selected date, wherein: the supply of resources for each of thefuture time periods represents a change in the supply of resources withrespect to the allocated supply as of the selected date; and the demandfor resources for each of the future time periods represents a change inthe demand for resources with respect to the allocated demand as of theselected date.
 24. An article comprising a machine-readable mediumstoring instructions operable to cause one or more machines to performoperations comprising: receiving a selection of a resource planningcategory for a collection of resources, with each resource having aplurality of associated characteristics, wherein the resource planningcategory corresponds to at least one of the characteristics; identifyinga future supply of resources for the resource planning category;identifying a future demand for resources for the resource planningcategory; calculating future gaps and surpluses for the resourceplanning category based on the identified future new supply and theidentified future new demand; presenting an interactive displayincluding an identification of the future gaps and surpluses for theresource planning category, the interactive display allowing a user toselect among a plurality of resource allocation adjustments foraddressing the future gaps and surpluses; receiving at least oneselected resource allocation adjustment for addressing the future gapsand surpluses: calculating net gaps and surpluses for the workforceplanning category from the future gaps and surpluses and the at leastone selected resource allocation adjustment; and dynamically updatingthe interactive display to include an identification of the net gaps andsurpluses in addition to the identification of the future gaps andsurpluses included in the interactive display.
 25. The article of claim24 wherein a roster stores the characteristics associated with eachresource and identifying the future new supply of resources comprises:identifying, based on characteristics stored in the roster, resourcesthat have a future availability within a selected time period and thathave characteristics matching the characteristics that correspond to theresource planning category.
 26. The article of claim 24 wherein theinteractive display includes an identification of the future gaps andsurpluses for the resource planning category, and wherein the at leastone selected resource allocation adjustment is received from the user.27. The article of claim 24 wherein the instructions are operable tocause one or more machines to perform further operations comprisingreceiving an indication of a selected planning horizon, wherein: thefuture supply of resources and the future demand for resources for theresource planning category are identified for the selected planninghorizon; and the future gaps and surpluses and the net gaps andsurpluses for the resource planning category are calculated for theselected planning horizon.
 28. The method of claim 1, wherein theinteractive display includes identification of: the supply of resourcesfor each of the plurality of future time periods; and the demand forresources for each of the plurality of future time periods.